The popular Mega Millions drawing-style lottery game is about to get even bigger. Tennessee Lottery officials announced today that starting with the Oct. 22, 2013 drawing, players will see changes that include larger starting jackpots, faster growing jackpots, a minimum second prize of at least a million dollars, and better overall odds of winning any prize—and all for the same $1 ticket price.

“Our changes to Powerball last year created a better, more entertaining game. With these enhancements to Mega Millions, we expect to produce a similar result,” said Rebecca Hargrove, President and CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation. “Big jackpots and better second prizes are what our players like, and that means more excitement and more dollars for the education programs funded by the Lottery.”

Tickets for the new Mega Millions game go on sale Oct. 19, 2013.

Details about the redesigned game include:

• The starting jackpot will increase from $12 million to $15 million, and jackpots will grow by at least $5 million after each drawing in which the jackpot is not won.
• The prize structure will change. For example, the second prize will increase from $250,000 to $1million for matching the five white ball numbers.
• The “Megaplier,” a multiplier option which players can purchase for an additional $1 to increase their non-jackpot prizes, will include a five factor. That means a Mega Millions ticket can now win up to $5 million when matching just five of five.
• Overall odds of winning any prize are improved to 1 in 14.7; the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 259 million.

Tuesday, Sept. 17, begins the “rolldown” towards the launch of the new Mega Millions, the necessary process of steadily reducing the number of consecutive drawings a player may purchase at one time. That day will be the last time to purchase a multi-draw Mega Millions ticket for 10 consecutive drawings. After the Sept. 17, Mega Millions drawing, the number of multi-draws players can purchase will decrease by one after each drawing occurs through October 15. Once the new Mega Millions game begins on October 19, players will again be able to purchase a multi-draw ticket for 10 consecutive drawings.

“We’re looking to bring even more excitement to the Mega Millions experience, while keeping the cost at just a dollar,” added Hargrove. “With the start of the rolldown, we’re pleased to officially begin the process that will take us to the launch of the new game.”

Mega Millions is currently played in 45 jurisdictions: 43 states plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesday and Friday evenings at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 p.m. Central Time Profits from every Mega Millions ticket sold remain in the state in which the ticket was sold. For more information, visit www.megamillions.com.

About the Tennessee Education Lottery
The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation operates entirely from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Net proceeds from sales of Lottery tickets, currently averaging over $5.3 million per week, fund specific education programs, including college scholarships and after-school programs.

Since the Lottery began selling tickets on Jan. 20, 2004, it has raised more than $2.7 billion for these programs. In addition to the educational beneficiaries, players have won over $6.3 billion in prizes and Lottery retailer partners have earned nearly $684 million in retailer commissions.